Never Too Late
by PurpleSkye
Summary: Akusawa Rica had seen the Uchiha Massacre in one of her visions even before it had happened. What will she do if her best friend is the mastermind? Will she be able to stop him before it's too late?


**Never Too Late-ONE-SHOT-Uchiha Itachi**

_Blood was splattered everywhere. Dead bodies lay on the ground lifeless and were covered in a dark crimson fluid. The sky was dark and the moon was a ruby red color. It was sickening. She walked by at a normal pace, her eyes moving from one body to another. Why were they dead? Who killed them? Why the Uchihas? She walked faster; an ominous feeling was creeping up her spine. She searched for any sign of life amidst the dead corpses but there were none to be found. Someone was watching her, surveying her every move. She felt his gaze burn beneath her skin; it was such a frightening feeling. She started running, wanting to know if a certain person might still be alive after this massacre._

_"ITACHI-KUN!" she yelled anxious for him._

_Just then, she heard a pain-filled scream. Its voice was so familiar, she almost shouted herself. It came again, even louder than before._

_Her ruby-colored eyes shot open as she suddenly sat up from her sleep. She had a hard time breathing and it was as if she had been running for miles. Her dream seemed so real, making her body shiver and shake in fear._

"Rica, dear, are you all right?" her very concerned mother inquired, noticing her pale features.

The girl named Rica stayed silent. She could not explain what she saw in her dream. She knew that it would eventually happen, she was the seer for crying out loud, and why wouldn't she know? It just proved that being able to see the future wasn't always a good thing.

Then, out of nowhere, she felt a pair of warm arms wrap around her cold exterior. For a moment, it ceased her shaking. And then, as if on cue, her tears fell from her eyes. She had never seen such a foreboding future vision before. She had witnessed many other murders and deaths but none of them were as gruesome as this. For once, her expressionless mask was shattered as she let all of her locked up emotions escape her.

Her mother caressed her short black hair gently, singing her to sleep. She laid her head on her mother's lap and began closing her tear-stained eyes. Her mother's eyes softened at the sight of her at a peaceful slumber though she was afraid to go back to sleep; she might have that dream again.

"Shhh. . . Go back to sleep, Rica." The mother muttered knowingly. "Everything's going to be fine." She added in reassurance.

With that, she finally fell into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning, the sun's rays shined upon Rica's face causing her to awaken. For a split second, she forgot about her horrible vision but it soon came rushing back to her memory. She balled her fist tightly, resisting the urge to yell and/or cry. She hastily got out of her bed and prepared herself for the day to come. After bathing, she put on a plain white kimono top with red linings and a matching red skirt. Then, she went out of her room, just about ready to start her day.

"Ohayo (good morning), Okaa-san (mother)." She greeted politely, bowing her head slightly to show her respect when she met her mother at the kitchen.

"Ohayo, Rica." Was her mom's cheerful reply.

Rica then exited her home to visit her very best friend – Uchiha Itachi. She was a tad bit late though; he wasn't home anymore. It was late when she woke up that day and Itachi had plans of his own; today just happened to be Uchiha Shisui's funeral. So, she simply decided to head back to her house where she would try and figure out the strange dream she had. She still didn't know who had done that crime so how was she supposed to prevent that from ever occurring? She couldn't think of anything else, anyway and besides she had nothing better to do.

On her walk back, she had realized that someone was following her. At first, she ignored him, thinking nothing of his presence but he wouldn't leave her alone! She had already tried losing him inside the busy market place but he just kept on her trail. Now she was back where she started – the street where Itachi's house stood. Knowing better, she would say he was after her because she was the seer. But, the weird thing was, she was feeling a rather familiar presence along with her stalker. Who were they?

"Good day to you, Ms. Akusawa or should I say Ms. Rica." A deep voice greeted from behind her.

"What do you want?" Rica asked him as she turned around to face a cloaked figure.

"You are the _seer_, are you not?" this man asked her, a smirk forming underneath his hood.

"So what if I am?" she asked again, rather rudely for she didn't want to waste time talking.

"I need you to join me..?" he stated in a business-like manner.

"What if I refuse?" she replied as her response.

"I believe I can give you an offer you cannot turn down." The man said.

"Oh really? Try me." She retorted still in a calm voice.

"Ms. Rin if you please," he had stated, his smirk growing wider.

Then, a girl in a dark-colored cloak appeared behind the surprised seer. Rica turned around and stared at the newcomer. She wasn't sure who this person was yet. Not until she pulled down her hood did she saw her face. The girl's brown hair and hazel eyes were all too familiar. Was this her? Was this Rica's long lost sister?

"R-Rin..?" Rica muttered; she had noticed something wrong with her sister's eyes.

"Come with me, Rica. Your talents are wasted in this pathetic excuse for a village." Rin had said indifferently; her eyes seemed to be caught in some kind of trance.

"You should listen to your Onee-san (older sister), Rica if you know what's good for you." The man said yet again but now he had a poisoned kunai pointed toward her neck.

_She heard it again, that pain-filled scream. But now, it was even louder than before. It was saying: "Don't Kill Me!!!" Blood and lifeless bodies littered the ground before her but she ignored them all. This time around, she would find out who it was who killed these innocent people. Then, a complete black and blue blur ran past her swiftly. Though it wasn't fast enough for her not to recognize who he was._

_"Sasuke-kun..?" she whispered._

_She quickly turned her head, feeling a very powerful force behind her. Her eyes met with the crimson eyes of the Sharingan however, there were something so different with these; it wasn't like anything she had seen so far._

_"What are you doing here, Rica?" he asked her._

_"ITACHI-KUN?" she shouted; was he the one who murdered them all?_

Rica stood motionlessly as her eyes widened in complete shock at what she was seeing. She did not even move to evade the attack Rin was sending her. Fortunately, Itachi arrived just in time to block Rin's attack.

"She is not going anywhere." Itachi's calm voice had said.

Rica snapped out of her trance and swiftly removed the kunai that was pointed toward her. She caught it as it came flying back towards her with ease as she faced this mysterious person. She glared at him and attacked. She was still a great fighter even after all those years of "retirement". Yet something was clouding her mind; she even tried to hurt her sister! It was clear to those in the sidelines (namely Itachi and the mystery person) that Rica was a much better fighter; Rin was a medical-nin, she was not best for the frontlines. She was no match against Rica.

As Rica was about to deliver a fatal blow, an attack came from out of the blue and caused her to smash unto the hard ground. Itachi stopped her assailant from doing more damage to her and she just watched as the Uchiha Prodigy saved her life.

"We will meet again, Rica." The hooded man said as he grabbed the injured Rin and retreated.

She did not bother stopping them; there was no point in doing so. He had hypnotized her sister and she did not want to hurt Rin anymore. In a blink of an eye, they both disappeared. Rica did not stand up for too many thoughts were running through her head. Itachi simply stared at her as she sat on the ground, motionless. Once she noted the intense stare he was giving her, she looked up at him. As their eyes met, she swore she saw the ones in her vision though it turned back to his dark pale black ones instantly. Her insides flared deeply.

"Don't I even get a 'thank you' for saving your life?" Itachi suddenly said out of nowhere.

"No one asked you to." Rica retorted, somehow feeling aggravated.

He remained silent, too puzzled by her sudden outburst of emotion. She was never really the one who would show that much emotion. She was always the calm and collected type, not like this. Why did she suddenly become so sensitive? Was something wrong? He then held out his hand to help her up and she gratefully took it.

"I just wanted to protect you..." Itachi had told her as his reply, pulling her up to her feet.

"Even though I'm not a ninja anymore, that doesn't mean I am weak!" Rica told him, annoyed beyond reasonable doubt.

She took her hand away from him and backed away, tears forming in her eyes. She wanted to talk to him but she didn't want him to see her crying or to see her afraid. She walked past him and heard him whispering.

"I know that you're strong enough to protect yourself. I never said you were weak." Itachi mumbled as she passed him. 'I just didn't want anyone to hurt you...' he then thought as he just watched her go.

She wanted to tell him about her dream and to ask him if it was true but she couldn't show him a weakness. He would think she was pathetic! The tears fell from her ruby-red eyes at the thought as she locked herself inside her room, not wanting to talk to anyone.

"What did the Uchihas do to deserve their painful deaths?" Rica asked herself, remembering clearly the sight of so much blood. "Why would Itachi do such a thing?"

So many questions filled her mind and all throughout the day she kept trying to find the answers that weren't even there to begin with. She was discontented as she cried herself to sleep; all her questions were left unanswered. That night, she had that same vision. It was the same horrible dream – her worst nightmare.

"NO! PLEASE STOP IT!!!" Rica shouted as she was once again reliving the nightmare of the future.

She saw his emotionless yet handsome face more clearly this time. And he saw his hands that held a bloody katana, which he used to slaughter all of the living Uchihas. Then, she spoke to her in a barely audible whisper: "I killed them..."

"NO!" she said yet again as she finally woke up, shaking all over.

Afraid to have that dream again, she did not go back to sleep. Besides it was almost midday; she had slept all morning for she spent most of the night thinking about Itachi. She just couldn't get him out of her mind. She still refused to believe that her best friend would become a cold-hearted murderer; it just didn't make sense to her.

For two days she stayed that way, silent and deep in thought. She hated not being able to talk to Itachi regarding her problems. Ever since they met, she had always told him her problems and he would always be around to help. She never got mad at him ever and she never intended to.

She had to apologize. She didn't even let him explain. She spoke without even thinking; she spoke based on her emotions! She had to patch things up with Itachi or else she might lose a very close friend. He had the answers to her questions and besides she didn't want to ruin their friendship over a stupid misunderstanding.

She finally left her house, wearing a light pink kimono top and a white, pleated skirt. She reached Itachi's house in no time at all since it was not that far from hers. She knocked upon the door and waited patiently for someone to answer it.

"Come in!" a sweet voice told her and she obediently complied.

"Mikoto-san..?" Rica mumbled silently. "Is Itachi home?"

Though her words were quietly said, Mikoto, Itachi's mother, heard her. However, Mikoto felt disappointed at the absence of '-kun' when Rica said her son's name.

"He went on a mission, Rica." Mikoto stated, looking at Rica from her place at the stove.

"Oh." Was Rica's blunt reply.

"Didn't Itachi tell you..?" Mikoto retorted as she walked with shock toward her, somewhat doubting her words; he would've told her, right?

"No." she answered plainly. 'Why didn't he tell me? Is he mad at me?' she then thought, feeling forsaken. "Maybe he just forgot." She added though she did not believe what she was saying. 'How could he forget?' she asked herself mentally.

Mikoto massaged Rica's shoulders for comfort as she pushed her unto a seat. Rica looked very pale and this got Itachi's mother worried. Her body temperature was high too; and she felt very sick. This was certainly caused by eating barely anything for the past two days; this was what she got from locking herself up while starving herself.

"Rica, are you all right?" Mikoto questioned, anxious about her. "Even Ryuka is worried about for you." She added.

'Okaa-san..?' she thought; she hadn't spoken to her mother since the night of her vision, she must be really worried now.

She nodded her head in assurance of her 'fine' condition.

"Are you sure? You look very pale." Mikoto stated, still anxious.

"Yes, Mikoto-san." Rica replied politely as she stood up. "Can you please inform Itachi that I wanted to see him?" she added, bowing slightly in gratefulness.

"Okay. I'll tell him." Mikoto said, though she still couldn't believe Rica was fine.

Just then, as Rica was about to leave, a little boy caught her in his embrace. By the tightness of his hold, it seemed as though they haven't met for years when in reality it had only been two days since they last met.

"Hello, Sasuke-kun." Rica greeted, giving the little boy a small smile.

Sasuke gave an even bigger grin and dragged her into his room to play. She chuckled as she allowed herself get pulled away by the eight-year-old Uchiha. Being with him and having fun really helped her forget about her problems. Although he didn't know, he contributed a lot in clearing her mind.

"SASUKE!" Mikoto yelled.

"Wait here, Rica-chan." Sasuke said before answering his mother. "YES, OKAA-SAN?" he continued, leaving the room.

Rica was left alone but she did not mind. Why wasn't Itachi home yet? She needed to speak to him though she still didn't know what to tell him. Why did everything suddenly become so complicated? Why did she have to be the seer anyway? All it resulted in was ruining her life.

"This is going to be harder than I thought..." Rica told herself.

"What's going to be hard?" the very familiar voice of Itachi interrupted.

"I-Itachi..?" Rica muttered, shocked to see him standing at the doorway wearing his oh so familiar smirk. "I – I'm – I – I'm so sorry!" she added, finding it hard to apologize for she was afraid he wouldn't accept it.

She couldn't control herself anymore; she couldn't stand seeing him there at the door just staring at her. She really needed a shoulder to cry on. She stood up from Sasuke's bed and ran to Itachi. Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around his body and cried upon his chest.

"Gomennaisai! I'm really sorry!" Rica sobbed, her tears falling freely from her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Itachi-kun. I'm really, really sorry!" she continued,

Then, she suddenly felt Itachi's arms around her protectively. A warm feeling formed in the pit of her stomach; she felt as though this was where she truly belonged. It felt so right to be in his arms. It was like it washed away all her worries.

"What are you apologizing for? I'm sorry." Itachi told her. "I never thought you were weak. I just didn't want anyone to hurt you. I wanted to protect you."

All the cherry blossom trees were in full bloom and Rica sat silently under one of them. Itachi told her that he'd be back but he had been gone for more than an hour already and he still hadn't returned. She waited patiently, though for he promised he would come back and she believed him.

"Where have you been, Uchiha Itachi?" Rica asked when he arrived back.

"Wouldn't you want to know..?" Itachi replied, trying to annoy her.

"If I beat you in a battle, would you tell me?" she retorted, standing up.

"We'll see..." Itachi said response, preparing his fighting stance.

Rica said nothing else as she too stood in position for fighting. For the first few seconds, no one attacked but as a minute passed, they both attacked at the same time. With Rica using her earth element attacks, Itachi used his fire-related techniques against her.

At first, they weren't taking each other seriously but as the fight progressed, not one of them wanted to lose. It was a test of strength. Who was a better fighter? Each one wanted to beat the other however to their annoyance, they were evenly matched. The other would repel each attack they made; only God knew who would win!

"You know what, Rica." Itachi suddenly said, somewhat out-of-breath. "I love you!" he said sweetly, catching Rica off-guard.

"What was that, Itachi-kun?" Rica muttered; she couldn't quite believe her ears.

She was open for attacks by now, shocked by his statement. Itachi grabbed this great opportunity; it wasn't everyday that the infamous Akusawa Rica was off-guard. He pinned her onto a Sakura (Cherry Blossom) Tree that was behind her, shaking of its petals. The pink petals fell down slowly, creating a very romantic ambience between the two 'friends'.

"I said I love you, Rica." Itachi repeated, looking into Rica's crimson orbs with his own black ones.

"I –" she stuttered, blushing; she didn't know what to say. 'What's going on? Why am I feeling this way?' she thought, somewhat in a state of panic. "I love you too..." she said silently, finally admitting her feelings.

Their faces were barely apart and Itachi's seemed to come closer and closer to hers. She could feel his warm breath upon her face and their lips were so close. When she thought their lips were to touch, his face backed away and he kissed her forehead.

"Happy Birthday, Rica." Itachi greeted letting her go.

"Arigato (Thank you), Itachi-kun." She replied, her pink cheeks getting even pinker.

Itachi grabbed one of Rica's hands within his and lead her back to his home. Since Rica's mother was currently on a medical mission, the Uchihas decided to celebrate her birthday at their house. Of course, Rica didn't know anything about it; it was a surprise. It wasn't long before they arrived at their destination – the Uchiha Manor. It was dark when they went in and when Itachi turned on the lights...

"SURPRISE!" the Uchihas yelled in unison. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RICA!"

The shock on Rica's face was evident and her smile was so radiant. She had never been so happy in years. All of them were just smiling at her as they greeted her. Even Fugaku had a grin on his face.

"Arigato." Rica said gratefully.

"Happy Birthday, Rica-chan!" Sasuke greeted again, running toward her and giving her a great big hug. "Look what I got you!" he added, putting a colorful birthday card on her hands.

"Sasuke! We can give her presents later. I want Rica to taste my brand new recipe." Mikoto stated, hauling everyone into the dining room to eat.

Sasuke sat beside Rica, who was sitting right across Itachi. The food was indeed satisfying; it always was delicious when Mikoto made it. Everything was peaceful except for the clattering of spoons and forks upon the plates and the constant exchange of words during a conversation.

'They're having so much fun. My vision can't come true now, can it?' she told herself mentally. 'Besides, Itachi-kun would never do such a thing.' She assured herself, looking at Itachi.

"Okaa-san, can Rica stay here for the night?" Itachi suddenly asked his mother.

"Itachi-kun..!" Rica silently protested; he never mentioned a sleep over when he took her there.

"It's not a problem, Rica." Mikoto answered, smiling brightly. "It wouldn't be right to let you stay home alone on your birthday." She added persistently.

"Hai (Yes). Arigato." She finally agreed, smiling slightly at the ever-happy Sasuke.

Whenever Rica stayed over for the night, she usually stayed in either Sasuke's or Itachi's room. She was too embarrassed to wander around though she need not be for her mother and Mikoto were the best of friends and Fugaku admired her achievements when she was a ninja, gaining his respect; she was practically family. Actually, she never liked wandering about, she usually did settle at the same place for long periods of time.

"Excuse me, Sasuke." Rica muttered silently as they played. "Itachi-kun needs to talk to me." She continued, standing up.

"Okay, Rica-chan! I'll wait for you." Sasuke replied happily.

Rica nodded and left his room. She knocked upon Itachi's bedroom door and waited uncomplainingly for it to be answered. Itachi opened the door and let her in. They were both silent for a while for they were somehow at a loss for words. Rica sat on his bed and patiently waited for him to speak.

"You wanted to tell me something, Itachi-kun?" she inquired getting rather impatient.

"Give me your hand, Rica." Itachi said, sitting beside her on the bed.

"What for?" she asked though she did what he said.

Itachi pulled her hand closer and wrapped a beautiful charm bracelet on her wrist. It was so simple yet elegant-looking at the same time. It was a shiny silver color and it had a small, heart-shaped pendant hanging from it. The pendant held the words "Always Mine" that was engraved upon it. She could feel her face blush madly as she stared at it.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled.

"For what?" he asked, the curiosity in his voice was evident.

"You went through all this trouble...for me?" she answered feeling discomfited.

"Don't you like it?" Itachi asked her, curious still.

"I love it. I really do." She told him honestly. "Arigato, Itachi-kun." She continued, smiling at him.

As she said those words, Itachi's lips fell upon hers in a very passionate kiss. She returned his affection and kissed him back fervently. It wasn't long before Itachi's tongue forced itself into her mouth. She let his tongue enter as they continued the kiss, unmindful of the Uchiha's true intention.

'I'm sorry, Rica' he said mentally, breaking the kiss.

As their lips were torn apart, Rica felt so weak. She felt light-headed and very tired for some strange reason. Her eyelids were heavy and she couldn't keep her consciousness for much longer. It turned out that Itachi had made her drink something that made her so weak but Rica didn't notice a thing.

"It had to be done, Rica." Itachi whispered, lying Rica's head on his pillow and putting her feet up the bed. "You know too much." He added, covering her with a blanket.

He left her a letter saying:

_Dear Rica,_

_I apologize for my actions. I just didn't want to hurt you. I know you want to know why but I cannot answer you just yet. Please know that I'm doing this for you, Rica. I will tell you when you're ready. I'll come back for you. Please wait for me._

_-Itachi_

Before heading out the door, Itachi looked at Rica one last time and gave her one last kiss. As he opened the door, he heard her stirring. He sighed and was about to exit the room when an extremely powerful force stopped him. It was surely Rica's binding technique.

"Where are you going, Itachi-kun?" she asked weakly, the pill had drained most of her chakra.

"Go back to sleep, Rica." Itachi ordered her, struggling to break free from her binds.

"Don't do it, Itachi-kun!" she retorted, standing up and walking towards him.

"It's none of your business." He replied blankly.

"Why are you doing this, Itachi-kun?" she questioned, hurt by his words though her face stated otherwise.

"I'm doing this to for you, Rica." He answered. "I want to be strong enough to protect you,"

"Protect me, Itachi-kun? What do you mean? No one in the Uchiha clan would kill me. You now that." Rica said in response, hiding her emotions still.

"Let me go, Rica." Itachi stated, knowing Rica did not have much strength to keep him constrained.

"Do it, Itachi-kun and I'll die!" she told him, pulling his katana from its sheath and pointing it upon her neck.

"It's too late, Rica!" Itachi said, breaking her binds and grabbing the wrist that held his sword.

"No it's not! It's **_never too late_**, Itachi!" Rica yelled her expressionless mask was shattered as she threw the katana across the floor.

Silence. Time froze between them both after those words were said. Really it was _never too late_ to try. It would be better late than never, right? She had a point.

"Itachi-kun, I'd rather die than see you become a merciless killer..." Rica said, tears spilling from her eyes.

"Please don't cry, Rica. I won't do it, I promise." He said, embracing Rica tightly as she sobbed.


End file.
